Sifting container construction comprising a perforated plastic lid and a rotatable perforated plastic cap



Sept. 25, 1951 c. c. B. GOWLAND 2,569,162

SIFTING CONTAINER CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING APERFORATED PLASTIC LID AND AROTATABLE PERFORATED PLASTIC CAP Filed April 12, 1948 Patented Sept. 25,1951 PRISING. A. emrrona'rlin rnasrrro 1.1-1) ND A Rommem s rmsAr n P ATIC oar Catherine G; B. Gowland Narberth, Pa. Anp catiqnAr 2 4a sea w weThis invention relates to sifting containers and has to do moreparticularly withan improved leak proof plastic lid construction forsuch a container.

Many attempts have been made to provide a satisfactory lid for siftingcontainers which are intended to carry various types of powderedmaterial. Such a container or lid must be tight enough to preventleakage of the powder during shipment and-at all times when the lid isclosed. Furthermore, it is highly desirable that a con-- tainer of thistype have a pleasing appearance and be capable of easy operation so thatit may be quickly opened and closed, In many cases it is alsoadvantageous to employ a lid which may be partially opened so that theamount of material being sifted can be regulated. A metallic lid isunsightly and subject to corrosion to the extent that the contents maybecome contaminated, the perforations stopped up, or the rotatableclosure is made extremely diflicult or impossible to' operate. Even atthis late date, the largest producers of household cleansers use ametallic top container in which the perforations must be punched out inorder to sift the cleanser. This construction, of course, insuresagainst leakage in transit but provides an extremely unsightlyappearance and does not permit any regulation of the sifting once theperforations have been made, and there is no way in which the lid may beclosed after it is opened.

The primary object, therefore, of the invention is to provide acontainer for powdered or granular material which is inexpensive tofabricate and which has a pleasing appearance.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sifting lidconstruction fabricated of synthetic plastic material which provides atight seal in one position and which may be readily operated to enablesifting of the contents of the container without the necessity ofpunching holes.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a syntheticplastic sifting lid for containers which has no exterior fastening meansbetween the rotatable closure member and the lid proper.

Further objects will be apparent from the specification and drawings inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly sectioned, of a sifting containerconstructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan of the structure of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail as seen at 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective showing the top of the cap or closure member;

1 cl i (01. fizz- 54s) Fig. 51s a perspective showing the underside ofthe can or cl u e er and Fig. (5, is a perspective. partly sectioned,showing the container lidproper.

The invention comprises essentially the provisi or of a syntheticplastic lid member having a circ lar recess on top and an annular liparound the outer periphery of the lid. 'There are no oyerhangingsections in the lid proper so that it may be molded from a syntheticplastic material. A series of perforations in the bottom of the recessedportion of thelid provide the desired sifting egress for the contents ofthe container. A closure memberor cap comprising an outward- 1y convexdischaving a diametric Web or rib on its outer surface is provided witha series of perforations adapted to register with the perforations inthe lid recess. The tolerances between the recess and the lid and'thecap may be closely controlled so that the lid has a free turning fit inthe recess butat the same time there is no danger of leakage. Both thelid proper and the cap 'are 'providedwith central bores so that in theassembly a headed pin may be inserted from the inside of the lid andcemented into the blind hole in the cap thus retaining the cap in closefitting relation to the recess.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a sifting containerconstructed according to the invention has a cylindrical body member l0preferably fabricated of paper or cardboard. A hollow base II iscemented to the cardboard and is fabricated of a synthetic plasticmaterial adapted for molding. The lid [2 is also of a synthetic plasticmaterial and is provided with an annular shoulder [3 which abuts theupper edge of the body member I I], and a skirt [4 which fits inside thebody member and whereby it may be conveniently cemented. The upperportion of the lid I2 is of generally convex curvature to provide apleasing outward appearance and the top of the lid has a flat circularrecess 12a of somewhat smaller diameter than the skirt l4. A series ofperforations l5, l5 in the base of the lid are concentrically locatedaround the center thereof and a larger hole It is provided exactly atthe center of recess lZa. The closure or cap I! is of a diameterslightly smaller than the diameter of recess l2a so that a tightrotating fit between the cap I! and the lid I2 is achieved. Thethickness of the cap at its periphery corresponds to the height of thewall H! of recess I2a, so that when the cap is in place a smooth outercontour is provided a shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and additional scaling isattained.

The upper or outside surface of cap I! is desirably convex in order thatit may blend pleasingly with the contour of the lid proper. The uppersurface is also provided with an integral web l9 by means of which thecap may be rotated in the recess l2u The smooth blending contour of theweb is shown by the broken lines in Fig. 3. A blind hole or socket 20having an enlarged diameter forming a recess 2001. as shown in Figs.

3 and 5 is provided in the center of the cap. In assembly, the cap isplaced in the recess l2a whereupon a synthetic plastic headed pin 2| iscemented into socket 20 so thatthe head 22 of pin 2| seats tightly butrotatably against the inside of lid l2. The recess 20a on, the undersideof the cap serves to trap any excess cement, thus terial, a syntheticplastic cap rotatably mounted preventing the cap from adhering tothe lidproper. A series of perforations 23, 23 in the lid are concentrictherewith" and register with perforations l5, I5 in the lid when the capis rotated in the recess [2a. In any intermediate position the holes [5and 23 are completely closed with respect to each other or a partialopening may be achieved to provide limited sifting.

It will be apparent that no metal parts are used in the container atall. The lid element [2 has only three pieces, all of which are adaptedfor maximum production in plastic material. The design is such thatfairly close tolerances may be maintained without unduly increasingcosts and the result being that an inexpensive, non-metallic, tight,sifting lid has been provided. The use of a synthetic plastic materialreadily adapts itself to various colors which enhance the appearance ofthe entire container. The web I!) has a smooth contour and will not cutthe fingers or be otherwise objectionable. The container is readilyassembled since the container body is attached to the lid after the capand pin have been cemented in place, thus eliminating the necessity ofreaching into thecontainer body to install the cap. The outwardappearance is exon said lid, the cap and the lid having concentricapertures positioned to register with each other in selective positionsof the cap, walls defining a socket on the underside of the cap, aheaded pin extending through the lid and cemented in the socketja'ndwalls on the underside of the cap defining an enlarged recess contiguousto the socket for retaining excess cement, thereby preventing the capfrom becoming cemented to the lid.

CATHERINE C. B. GOWLAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 166,091 Woods July 26, 1904950,819 Hull Mar. 1, 1910 985,322 Beals Feb. 28, 1911 1,154,518 KendallSept. 21, 1915 1,203,872 Harbeck Nov. 7, 1916 1,291,916 Kendall Jan. 21,1919 2,152,600 Morrison, Mar. 28, 1939 2,300,512 Landay Nov. 3, 19422,347,253 Chaffee Apr. 25, 1944 2,366,644 Nyden Jan. 2, 1945 2,420,738Dickerman May 20, 1947

